SMTP Sending Setup Checklist

Your emails are written, your lead list is ready, and now you need a mailbox that actually delivers. Most sending problems trace back to a skipped step during setup: a missing DNS record, the wrong port, or a brand-new mailbox pushed too hard on day one. Work through this checklist in order and tick each item.

New to the term? The SMTP explainer covers what the protocol does. This page is the setup itself.

1. Choose and prepare your sending domain

• Decide whether to send from your main domain or a separate one (for example, yourbrand-mail.com). A separate domain keeps your main domain's reputation apart from cold outreach.
• If you use a separate domain, point its website to your main site so recipients who check it land somewhere real.
• Create one or more mailboxes with real names (anna@, not info@ or sales@).
• Add a profile photo and a plain signature with your name, company and a physical or business address if your local rules require one.
• Write down the provider you use, since the DNS values below come from them.

2. Authenticate the domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

These records tell receiving servers your mail is genuinely from you. Add them in your domain's DNS panel using the exact values your email provider gives you.

• SPF added, and you merged providers into a single record rather than creating two.
• DKIM enabled in your provider's admin panel, not just added in DNS.
• DMARC added, starting with a monitoring policy such as v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain.com
• Waited for DNS to update (it can take from minutes to a day).
• Sent an email to a personal Gmail account, opened "Show original" and confirmed SPF, DKIM and DMARC all show PASS.

3. Collect your SMTP connection details

You'll need these from your provider before connecting any tool:

• SMTP host (for example smtp.yourprovider.com)
• Port: usually 587 with STARTTLS, or 465 with SSL/TLS. Avoid 25 for this use; many networks block it.
• Username (often the full email address)
• Password, or an app password if your account uses two-factor authentication
• Confirmation that SMTP access is switched on for the mailbox (some providers disable it by default)
• The provider's own daily sending limit, written down so you stay under it
• IMAP details too, if you want replies pulled into a shared inbox

4. Connect and test

• Connect the account in your sending tool. In GetClient you can connect any SMTP account or a Gmail account, and replies come into one Inbox.
• Send a test to yourself on Gmail and on Outlook. Check it arrived, which folder it landed in, and how it looks on mobile.
• Reply to the test from another address and confirm the reply shows up where you expect.
• Check the From name reads like a person: "Anna Ruiz", not "ANNA RUIZ SALES TEAM".
• Click every link in the test email to confirm it works.

5. Warm up and set sending limits

A new mailbox that suddenly sends hundreds of emails looks suspicious. Ramp up gradually.

A cautious rule of thumb (not a guarantee, adjust to your provider's guidance):

• Week 1: 10 to 20 emails a day per mailbox, mostly to people you know who will reply

• Week 2: 20 to 30 a day

• Week 3 onward: increase slowly only if bounces and spam complaints stay low

• Daily cap set per mailbox, below your provider's limit.

• Weekday limits set so you're not sending heavy volume on weekends. GetClient lets you set send limits per weekday.

• Delays between steps set in days, not minutes, for follow-ups.

• If you need more volume, plan to add more mailboxes rather than pushing one harder.

6. Clean the list before the first send

Bounces hurt your sender reputation fast, so protect the mailbox you just set up.

• Run email verification on the list and remove invalid addresses.
• Remove duplicates and role addresses you don't want to contact.
• Check every row has the fields your template uses (name, city, website). Keep segments tidy, as in organizing leads in folders.
• Review the rules that apply to you and your recipients' countries using the outreach compliance checklist. This is not legal advice.

7. Pre-send campaign check

Paste this short first-touch template into step one and preview it per recipient:

Subject: Quick question about {{params.name}}

Hi {{params.firstname}},

I was looking at {{params.website}} and noticed a couple of {{params.category}} businesses in {{params.city}} are doing something similar to what I help with.

Would it be worth a short chat to see if it fits {{params.name}}?

Anna

• Merge tags written exactly as {{params.firstname}}, {{params.name}} and so on. Other formats won't fill in.
• Previewed several recipients, including one with a missing first name, and planned a fallback (such as segmenting those leads into a separate campaign with "Hi there").
• Unsubscribe link included. In GetClient it's a one-click link and unsubscribed addresses are skipped automatically.
• Plain layout chosen for cold email; it reads like a normal message.
• No attachments, image-heavy design or link shorteners in the first email.
• Follow-up branch set, such as If NOT Opened after 3 days with a shorter nudge.
• Schedule set to the recipients' working hours.

8. After launch: daily checks for the first two weeks

• Bounce rate: if it climbs, pause and re-verify the list.
• Replies answered the same day. See replying to interested leads fast.
• Spam complaints or blocked messages in your provider's dashboard.
• Track your reply rate per campaign rather than opens alone, since open tracking can be unreliable.
• Re-run the Gmail "Show original" check once a week to confirm authentication still passes.

If you want to test this setup end to end, new GetClient accounts get 100 free credits with no card needed. Plans are on the pricing page.